A webinar on post-COVID-19 condition in children jointly organised by the ECDC and the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) took place on 10 November 2021.
The webinar enabled the sharing of experiences and epidemiological data on post-COVID-19 condition in children between researchers with the aim of shaping future priorities for the condition across Europe.
Participants included members of ESPID, ECDC’s national focal points for COVID-19, and representatives from EU/EEA countries’ National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs). Presentations from ECDC, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the United Kingdom provided data in the areas of surveillance and epidemiology of post-COVID-19 condition in the paediatric population. The lack of a standardised syndrome definition and harmonised surveillance protocol were highlighted.
The webinar concluded that while challenges remain to identify the burden of post-COVID-19 condition and its consequences in children, some established networks exist. A collaborative approach involving public health specialists and expert groups is essential in responding to these public health challenges. The importance of developing a European network to assist in better understanding the syndrome, its public health consequences, and burden was endorsed. To watch the webinar click below:
A webinar on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) jointly organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) took place on 20 January 2022.
The webinar enabled the sharing of experiences and epidemiological data on MIS-C between European researchers, with the aim of shaping future priorities for the condition across Europe.
Participants included members of ESPID, representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), and focal points for the COVID-19 network at ECDC. Presentations from Sweden, United Kingdom, France, and Spain provided data in several areas of MIS-C.
The lack of a common standardised syndrome definition was highlighted. The webinar concluded that remaining challenges include the appropriate characteristics needed for a standardised case definition due to the lack of large case databases and the multiple phenotypes of children with MIS-C. Nevertheless, the prompt development of a WHO definition at the time the syndrome was first recognised has been an invaluable tool for clinicians and researchers. A collaborative approach involving public health specialists and expert groups is essential in responding to complex public health challenges as in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
